Plasma display panels (PDPs) are products which draw attention as full-color display devices suitable for large screens and which have spread widely. In an AC-type PDP of a three-electrode surface-discharge type, a plurality of sustain electrode pairs for generating surface discharge on a glass substrate on a display side (front glass substrate) are formed of ITO or the like. Address electrodes formed to be perpendicular to the sustain electrode pairs as viewed from a display area and a phosphor layer covering the address electrodes are formed on a glass substrate on a rear side (rear glass substrate).
The front glass substrate and the rear glass substrate are sealed with a low-melting-point glass seal, where, after a discharge gas is filled from a gas inlet pipe (gas filling pipe) provided on the rear glass substrate, the gas inlet pipe is sealed and cut (see #A in FIG. 9).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-303065 describes means for performing air-tight welding under an inert gas atmosphere to manufacture a vacuum package.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-296308 describes the effect that an exhaust pipe, which has its one end embedded into a hole extending through a rear sheet glass, is provided and pressure reduction is performed via the exhaust pipe.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-149791 discloses means for attaching an exhaust pipe for closing an exhaust hole upon airtight sealing of a flat display device and closing the exhaust hole after exhausting from the exhaust pipe. A similar description is included in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-240739.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-326037 describes an infrared detector manufactured by arranging a getter in a clearance after vacuum has been achieved via a through-hole.